Cubalaya Chicken Information Guide
Let us discuss about Cubalaya Chicken Breed and it’s Characteristics.
Breed Profile:
- Name: Cubalaya, from domestic Cuban chicken breed.
- Varieties: Varieties of Cubalaya are White, Black, Black Breasted Red. Unofficial: Silver Duckwing, Golden Duckwing, and Blue Wheaten.
- Chicken Weight: Standard-sized cocks weigh up to 2.40 kg and hens 1.59 kg.
- Eggs: approximately 250 eggs per year.
- Type: Large Fowl.
- Cost: Cubalaya checks’ cost 4 to 5$.
- Rarity: Rare.
- Purpose: Ornamental
- Egg Laying: Good layers.
- Egg Color: Cream.
- Egg Size: Small or Medium.
- Comb Type: Pea Comb.
- Feathered Legs: No
- Number of Toes:4
- Cold Hardiness: Hardy in winter.
- Heat Tolerance: Not especially heat hardy.
- Personality: Males cubalaya are very aggressive and intelligent.
- Uses: ornamental and meat purpose.
Introduction to Cubalaya Chicken:
Cubalaya Chicken is a very rare breed that originated in Cuba. It is a stunning and standard show breed and has triple purpose qualities. It is reared in Cuba and other countries for ornamental, meat and eggs production purpose. In some states of the United States, this chicken breed is typically kept for exhibition and ornamental purpose.
The attractive Cubalaya chicken is a standard show breed and has dual-purpose qualities. Hens are broody and can lay a decent number of little, white eggs yearly.
Origin of Cubalaya Chicken:
Cubalayasare domestics beautiful chickens with thick, glossy tail feathers mainly reared in Cuba and mainly originate from the Philippines. In North America, Cubalaya are reared only as an ornamental breed. The hens of this bread are good layers. The roosters are very aggressive and can easily fight with their multiple spurs.
Cubalaya Chicken is mainly a cross breed between long feathered European game fowls and oriental fowls brought over from the Philippines).
This chicken breed was presented in the United States at the International Poultry Exhibition in 1939. And it is listed in the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection.
Read: Frequently Asked Questions About Goat Farming.
Physical Characteristics of Cubalaya Chicken:
- Cubalayashave a very attractive body with a pea comb; abundant, flowing hackle feathers and long, well-spread tail carried horizontally below 20 degrees.
- The Cubalayachickens have short legs with a sloping back. For Cubalaya hen, there is a distinct difference between the color of the plumage around the head and neck area and the rest of the body. For both cubalayamale and female chickens, the tail is curved down, which is commonly known as a “lobster tail”. The plumage of the male cubalaya chicken is very colorful than the female with sometimes have a reddish orange fire like color with emerald colored feathers. These ornamental chickens don’t have the spurs on the feet.
- Cubalayas are very friendly with curious disposition. They are highly tolerant to heat and are excellent foragers when allowed to range. The cubalaya hens are good layers they lay small eggs and are excellent brooders.
- This breed chicken comes in both standard and bantam sizes. Standard-sized cubalayacocks can weigh approximately up to 2.40 kg and hens 1.59 kg; cubalayabantam cocks weigh approximately 740 g and their hens weight about 625 g.
- Three colors of cubalaya breeds are categorized by original Cuban standard: black, black-breasted red and white.
- Cubalaya are very selective bred for wide, extended tail and a curving beak, fierce eyes, and have a strong appearance.
- The Cubalaya chicken breeds are polite-mannered when compared to other game fowl, it can be somewhat aggressive toward other chickens. These chickens are very loyal to their keepers. Cubalayasare against the confinement and roam making severe noise, and feed on forage in hot and humid climates. Cubalaya chickens take more than three years to mature, the hens become reproductive from the age of 6 months. The Cubalaya chicken is among the Threatened category of the American Livestock bred Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List.
- Some more positive features of cubalaya chickens are, its self-sufficiency as an adept forager and good brooder. Offer your birds range of a grassy, insect-filled area, and they just roam stay happy. Cubalaya chickens are resistant towards hot, humid, sunny environments.
- Cubalayasare highly productive ornamental chicken. In Cuba, they are reared as a multi- purpose bird, so they have potential in the roaster, layers and for ornamental purpose.
- Cubalaya hens are good layers of small or medium sized cream colored eggs, they produce about 4 eggs a week.
- They start reproducing in their first year, these chickens mature slowly, sometimes they take a very long period.
Cubalaya Chicken Behavior:
Cubalaya Chickens are very active ornamental breeds, they are hardy and striking. This chicken breed is against the confinement, when compared to other game breeds. Cubalaya are very good foragers. They very noisy birds, they make severe noise while roaming. This game birds are less aggressive compared to other game birds. Cubalaya is a slow growing breed and is very easy to handle this bird. They are very resistant temperature changes. Cubalaya not very good layers, but they lay a decent number of eggs.
Even the appearance and lineage of cubalaya is aggressive and stubborn, they are very polite towards humans. Cubalaya chickens known for their gentle behavior and are good pets, this behavior make them a winner in the exhibition. Cubalaya chicken is mainly reared for meat, eggs, and fighting, and for ornamental purposes.
Read: Broiler Chicken Farming Project Report.
Varieties of Cubalaya Chicken:
- Black: This variety cubalaya chicken has standard black plumage, with slate shanks and toes.
- Black-Breasted Red: This variety cubalaya male chicken has a standard black-breasted red plumage. And the female cubalaya chicken has a Cinnamon-shaded, coloring with dark cinnamon-red on the head and neck and lighter cinnamon-wheaten on the body. They have a colorful feather on the tail.
- Red Pyle: This variety have standard red pyle plumage, and it is not yet recognized by the APA.
- White: this cubalaya chicken has a standard white plumage.
Advantages of Cubalaya Chicken Farming:
- This cubalaya chickens are hardy and resistant to all diseases and weather changes.
- This cubalaya chicken is heat-tolerant and thrive well in hot and humid conditions.
- These chickens are very friendly and loyal to humans.
- Cubalaya chickens are thrifty and good rangers.
- They don’t have spurs, so they can be best ornamental breed in your flock.
Disadvantages of Cubalaya Chicken:
- This breed chicken is hard to find.
- This breed chickens are very rare.
- This breed is listed in the Threatened category of the American lvestock creeds conservancy’s conservation priority list.
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